Going barefoot for winter?

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vikkiandmonica

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Hey all, I am considering taking off my WB, Wings' shoes (all 4) for winter seeing as I won't be doing much hacking other than in fields, mainly riding in the school. I would probably be getting them off on Tuesday when my farrier next comes. He does have decent feet, however has recently got a split when a nail was pulled out of his foot yesterday (had come loose and was bent round so he was standing on it, so pulled it out). However, he has lost a shoe before and was happy walking on hard ground etc. (albeit without a rider), including walking on little stones to get into the yard from his field.

I would also be getting my native pony Monica's fronts off too (only gets fronts now), however she might be doing a XC next Sunday, so not sure if she would be foot sore, considering it would be in a softish field/arena?

My question is, would you do this if they were your horses, or are they more likely to get abcesses/other foot problems? They do get fed biotin, and look really good condition wise, and although Wings did have some problems with his feet over a year ago, they have recently been in good condition, other than the recent split. My thoughts was also that without the shoes, his feet would grow better without the extra strain of the shoes/nails?

So, opinions please? Thanks in advance :D :D
 
You never know until you try! so yes I would see how they go barefoot and if they cope well I would consider leaving them off for good...
 
Hi OP

Re split. Provided the hoof is properly trimmed this should not be a problem

Re abscesses. Going barefoot is not a primary cause of abscesses. However, sometimes when shoes are removed the foot changes shape dramatically (for the better if properly trimmed). During the shape change the foot sometimes needs to get rid of dead tissue, so it will abscess. Again this should not be a big problem.

Re diet. Going barefoot may highlight dietary issues that you might currently be unaware of because of the shoes. Again this doesn't need to be a huge deal, so long as you know how to read the hoof and address accordingly.

Good luck and best wishes.
 
A spell barefoot can be great for horse's feet, I know a few people who do exactly what you are proposing and it works really well. Mine is barefoot all the time currently, but if I were to shoe her (might do one day so we can use studs to event) I would take the shoes off as soon as I no longer needed them :) Just make sure that you get the diet right - to thrive barefoot your horse ideally should have a low sugar, forage-based diet ;)
 
mine has his shoes removed for the winter and we've never had problems with abscesses. last year they were removed and a week later everything froze solid for months! that wasnt ideal, he lives out so I made a muck track for him and got him some boots until he toughened up. it was great not worrying about snow balling up though and it does his feet the world of good.
 
Ah thanks everyone, think I may well do that then. As for the low sugar, high forage/fibre, they do get this, seeing as they live out 24/7 and Monica will all winter, Wings coming in in a month or 2, and he will get a lot of hay through the night, as they will in the field when grass gets low. They also have low sugar feeds, or it would blow their brains :P .
 
Not a barefoot or hoof expert...but here's my TB lad who's had his shoes off due to cracks since about start of August :)

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos...264526665529_608265528_14527030_4509924_n.jpg


http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos...0264525515529_608265528_14526979_572176_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._468406811752_708806752_6194359_3281587_n.jpg [ignore me, took off early!]

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._468800161752_708806752_6206714_5096761_n.jpg

He's coping fine :) On the really stony carpark we have to go across he can have a couple of slightly footy steps over that occasionally, but everything else, you wouldn't know any different. I think I am going to have fronts put back on though at some point.
 
Ah great, thanks Binky01. Am pretty sure I'll just get his shoes removed and left off then, and if his feet harden enough, we could possibly still hack etc. judging by how much you are doing with your TB!! :D
 
No prob! I worried to start with too, my line of thought was along the lines of 'He can't possibly survive without shoes on!'
But with all the hard ground this year his feet were just cracking around the clenches so I bit the bullet and kept him barefoot for a while.
And he's still in full work after 2 weeks off initially and never had a sore day or anything detrimental etc. His feet are hard as rocks and even better if anything!
 
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